The Mariners, Rays and Cardinals officially announced a three-team deal that sends infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan to Seattle. The full breakdown is as follows:
- The Mariners send infielder Ben Williamson to the Rays, as well as prospects Jurrangelo Cijntje and Tai Peete and a competitive balance round B pick (#68 overall) to the Cardinals, receiving infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan from the Cardinals.
- The Cardinals send infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan to the Mariners, getting prospects Jurrangelo Cijntje and Tai Peete plus a competitive balance round B pick (#68 overall) from the Mariners, as well as receiving outfield prospect Colton Ledbetter and a competitive balance round B pick (#72 overall) from the Rays.
- The Rays send outfield prospect Colton Ledbetter and a competitive balance round B pick (#72 overall) to the Cardinals, receiving infielder Ben Williamson from the Mariners.
A Donovan trade has felt inevitable for quite a while. The Cardinals have been leaning harder into a rebuild this winter. They tried to kick off a reset last offseason but struggled to move their veteran players with no-trade clauses and ended up mostly standing pat. With president of baseball operations John Mozeliak ceding the reins to new president Chaim Bloom after the 2025 campaign, it became clear that the club would push harder to focus on the future.
Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras all had no-trade clauses in their contracts and seemed reluctant to approve deals in the 2024-25 offseason. As last year was winding down, they all publicly expressed a greater openness to playing for new teams in 2026. That has now come to fruition for all three. Gray and Contreras were both traded to the Red Sox, while Arenado landed with the Diamondbacks.
Donovan’s situation was slightly different. Those other three guys were all veterans making eight-figure salaries. Moving them out of St. Louis was partially about slashing the payroll and also about opening up opportunities for younger players as part of the rebuild. Donovan, on the other hand, is still in his arbitration seasons. He will make a relatively modest $5.8MM in 2026 and would be due a raise in 2027.
It wouldn’t be necessary to trade Donovan for financial reasons at that price. But with the Cards expecting their rebuild to last a few years, it made sense to make Donovan available since he’s just two years away from free agency. An extension was another possibility but Donovan is now 29, so he’ll be going into his age-31 season in his first free agent year, and it’s unclear if the Cards will be competitive by then.
Donovan was a case where the St. Louis front office wouldn’t have to worry about the contract and could focus on simply bringing back as much talent as possible. With his modest salary and inability to block trades, the Cards could scour the league to see what teams were willing to pay in terms of prospect capital. Since Donovan can play all over the diamond, with experience at all four infield positions and the outfield corners, almost any contender could fit him onto the roster.
It’s not just defensive versatility that Donovan brings to the table. In his four big league seasons, he has been remarkably consistent with a contact-based approach at the plate. His strikeout rate has been in the 12 to 15% range in each season of his career, during a time when the league average is usually around 22% or so. He has also drawn walks at a rate right around league par. He doesn’t have huge power but has hit at least 10 home runs in each of the past three seasons.
Put it all together and Donovan has a career .282/.361/.411 slash line. That translates to a 119 wRC+, indicating he has been 19% better than league average at the plate overall. Each of his four seasons has ended with a wRC+ between 115 and 127. A consistently above average hitter with an affordable salary who can capably play many different positions made Donovan a good fit for many teams and he reportedly received interest from about half the clubs in the league. He underwent sports hernia surgery in October but that doesn’t seem to have put a damper on his market and there has been no reporting to suggest he won’t be healthy for spring training.
The Mariners certainly stood out as one of the best fits, if not the very best. They went into the winter with some question marks in various positions but also potential internal solutions. They finished 2025 with Jorge Polanco as their regular second baseman and Eugenio Suárez at third. Both became free agents and have since agreed to deals with different clubs, Polanco with the Mets and Suárez the Reds.
Seattle had interest in bringing both back but it also would have been a bit awkward to sign either. Putting Polanco back at second would have blocked Cole Young. He debuted in 2025 and didn’t have immediate success, with a .211/.302/.305 line on the year. However, he may have been held back by a .247 batting average on balls in play, as his 10.9% walk rate and 18.3% strikeout rate were both quite good. The M’s presumably don’t want to give up on him just based on that initial exposure to the big leagues. Middle infield prospect Michael Arroyo is also not far off, having reached Double-A in 2025. Ryan Bliss showed some promise before he spent most of 2025 on the injured list.
At third base, the Mariners already gave some big league time to Williamson last year. He didn’t hit much but got really strong reviews for his glovework, getting credited with eight Defensive Runs Saved in 703 innings. That gave them a glove-first floor at the position.
Meanwhile, they have Colt Emerson lurking. A consensus top 20 prospect coming into 2026, he crushed High-A and Double-A in 2025, getting a late promotion to Triple-A for six games. He could be the long-term shortstop but his glovework is considered a bit behind his bat. With J.P. Crawford signed through 2026, Emerson could theoretically cover third in 2026 and then move over to short for 2027. However, he is only 20 years old and has barely reached Triple-A, so there’s no guarantee of that scenario playing out as scripted.
There’s also a bit of uncertainty in right field, where the Mariners have a cluster of guys including Víctor Robles, Dominic Canzone, Luke Raley and Rob Refsnyder. Robles was injured for most of 2025 and struggled when on the field. The other three guys have mostly found success in platoon roles, Canzone and Raley from the left side and Refsnyder the right.
Take all those situations into account and Donovan’s appeal becomes clear. His multi-positional abilities will allow the club to bounce him around depending on who else is healthy and producing. Perhaps he will start out projected at second base, since that is the position he has played most in his career. But if Young breaks out or Bliss bounces back, Donovan can be moved to third. With Williamson now leaving for Tampa, Donovan could cover the hot corner until Emerson charges forth and takes that spot. If second and third are both taken over by younger guys, then Donovan could see more time in the outfield. As injuries pop up throughout the year, the picture will change and Donovan can shift.
Donovan’s contact approach was likely also a part of the appeal. The Mariners had one of the highest strikeout rates in the majors in both 2023 and 2024, with a 25.9% rate in the former and a 26.8% clip in the latter. They made a concerted effort to get that down in 2025, dropping it to 23.3%, but that was still one of the seven highest rates out of the 30 clubs in the majors.
To get Donovan, the Mariners are dipping into their strong farm system but aren’t giving up any of their top guys. Cijntje, 23 in May, was Seattle’s first-round pick in 2024. The M’s took him 15th overall and signed him with a $4.8809MM bonus.
One of the most unique prospects, Cijntje primarily throws with his right arm but also throws with his left. He can get his fastball to the upper 90s with both arms but his lefty velocity is a tad lower. Basically, he has been working as a traditional righty starter but then occasionally switching to the left side when facing a lefty hitter. The potential outcomes with such a prospect are quite wide, as it’s never really been seen before. Pat Venditte pitched with both arms and was able to carve out a big league career from 2015 to 2020, but as a journeyman reliever.
Cijntje, on the other hand, seems capable of being a big league starter with his right arm. He posted a 3.99 ERA in 108 1/3 minor league innings last year. Baseball America recently ranked him the #7 prospect in a strong Seattle system.
Whether he would still mix in some lefty work in the long run is undetermined. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reported yesterday that Cijntje would be mostly focusing on his work as a righty in spring training. He was going to still throw as a lefty in some bullpen work but not in games.
The Cardinals will presumably shed some light on what they have in mind for Cijntje, though the team announced him as a right-handed pitcher in their press release. Whether it’s as a switch-pitcher or a traditional righty, he will give them some extra pitching depth, which has been their main target this winter. They also added Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke in the Gray trade, Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita in the Contreras deal and then Jack Martinez in the Arenado swap.
Some of those pitchers are immediate candidates for big league work but that shouldn’t be the case with Cijntje. He hasn’t yet reached Triple-A and has only seven starts at the Double-A level. If the switch-pitching experiment were to continue, he should arguably require more development time than a standard prospect, since it would be such an unprecedented path that there’s no map. He won’t be Rule 5 eligible until December of 2027, so the Cards could be very patient if they wanted, especially with the major league club not being competitive in the short term.
Peete, 20, was selected 30th overall in the 2023 draft and signed via a $2.5MM bonus. He has huge tools but also big question marks. In 2025, he got into 125 High-A games. He hit 19 home runs and stole 25 bases but also struck out in 30.6% of his plate appearances. Initially a shortstop who also dabbled at second and third, the Mariners moved him to the outfield last year, mostly in center but also with a decent amount of time in left.
It’s a long-term play with wide error bars but BA recently gave Peete the #10 spot in the Seattle system. The fact that he’s already striking out at such a high rate is worrisome, as hitters generally strike out more as they climb the minor league ladder and face tougher pitching. But his outfield defense is considered strong even though he just moved there, and there’s power in the bat. The ingredients are potentially there but St. Louis will have to be patient since he’s not close to the majors and needs some refinement.
Ledbetter, 24, was a second-round pick of the Rays in 2023. He profiles as a guy who can do a lot of things well but without a standout tool. He played 123 Double-A games last year, hitting seven home runs and stealing 37 bases while playing all three outfield spots. His 9.5% walk rate and 23.9% strikeout rate were both close to normal.
For the Rays, they are giving up Ledbetter and a draft pick but presumably feel Williamson is a worthwhile near-term upgrade to the big league squad, whereas Ledbetter and the pick wouldn’t be helping the team for a few years.
As mentioned, Williamson profiles as a glove-first third baseman, but he also has minor league experience at the middle infield spots. The Rays have one of the best young third basemen in Junior Caminero, who just wrapped up a 45-homer season in his age-21 campaign. His defense wasn’t especially well regarded, so Williamson could perhaps sub in for him late in games for better glovework.
The Rays traded away Brandon Lowe but then replaced him at second base by acquiring Gavin Lux. Hitting from the left side, Lux needs a platoon partner, as he has a career .269/.344/.406 line against righties but .198/.277/.260 against lefties. Williamson is a righty and hit better against southpaws in his debut last year, so perhaps he can help the Rays shield Lux. Williamson also has options and could be sent to the minors if complementing Lux and Caminero doesn’t get him enough playing time.
Ultimately, this deal is about the Mariners making a big upgrade to their team. They just went to the ALCS in 2025 and almost made it to the World Series, before a heartbreaking loss in game seven. Donovan adds to the 2026 and 2027 teams while also giving the club the flexibility to find roles for some of their younger guys who could be long-term pieces. He doesn’t break the bank financially and didn’t require the club to part with any of its best prospects.
The Cardinals cash in a guy who wasn’t going to be much use to them during their rebuild. They’ve added some more young talent to the system and also cleared more playing time for players who could be part of the next competitive cycle, including JJ Wetherholt, Thomas Saggese, Nolan Gorman, Joshua Baez and others. They also picked up two reasonably high draft picks to add a couple more prospects in July. That’ll likely add around $2.5MM to their bonus pool as well.
Further trades are theoretically possible. Lefty reliever JoJo Romero is an impending free agent and a natural trade candidate. He has stayed with the Cardinals thus far, so perhaps they haven’t been bowled over by the offers, which could lead to him staying in St. Louis until the summer deadline. Lars Nootbaar is two years from free agency, like Donovan, but he may begin the season on the injured list due to heel surgery. He has been in some rumors but the Cards may hold him until he shows he’s healthy, then make him available in the summer as well.
Though a Donovan trade has been discussed all winter, it took most of the offseason to come together. Presumably, that’s due to the other participants in the game of musical chairs. The offseason began with free agency offering other infielders, including Suárez and Polanco but also Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, Luis Arráez and more.
The chairs started filling up in recent weeks. The Cubs reached an agreement with Bregman in mid-January. Not long after, Bichette landed with the Mets. The Giants were reportedly making a strong push for guys like Donovan but also Nico Hoerner of the Cubs and CJ Abrams of the Nationals. Instead, they pivoted to a one-year deal with Arráez this weekend. Suárez lingered unsigned until reaching an agreement with the Reds in recent days.
After the Mariners, the Red Sox were one of the clubs most frequently connected to Donovan. They seem likely to let Marcelo Mayer replace Bregman at third but don’t have a great solution at second base. Reportedly, Donovan wasn’t considered a perfect fit because the lineup is already heavy on lefties, but they now have one less option available. Rumors have been swirling about Isaac Paredes but it’s unclear if the Astros have any willingness to deal him.
Katie Woo and Chad Jennings of The Athletic first reported that the Mariners were close to getting Donovan in what was likely a three-team trade. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the Rays were the third team. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that Tampa was expected to get Williamson. Joel Sherman of The New York Post first reported on Cijntje going to the Cards. Adam Jude and Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times first reported Peete going to the Cards. Nightengale first had Tampa sending out a prospect and a comp B pick. Sherman first reported Ledbetter’s inclusion. Nightengale then specified the full breakdown. Passan reported that the agreement was in place and that Seattle was sending the #68 pick to St. Louis.
Photos courtesy of Eakin Howard, Jeff Curry, Kevin Jairaj, Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Yessir!
About damn time!!!!
Depending on the cost, I think Andujar would have been just fine for the same role. High average hitter with mid-tier power
Not as flexible position-wise.
Who’s a terrible defender everywhere he plays, as opposed to a plus defender at five or six positions like Donovan.
No way. Not even close to B. Donovan’s ability to play everyday and not just put together quality at bats but bring a strong glove to both the infield and outfield.
“Filling a 3B/OF role with a higher BA and equal HR in less at-bats for a low AAV and no prospects traded” doesn’t mean I implied “Andujar is better than Donovan”.
Yes you did! Go back and read your post!!!
And what I don’t understand is that the Giants offered much more to the Cards for Donovan (if the reporting was real). Can’t imagine what St. Louis is thinking.
What did they offer ?
This is copied and pasted….
“Depending on the cost, I think Andujar would have been just fine for the same role. High average hitter with mid-tier power”
Not going to argue, you can take the text however you’re feeling bud
Will do.
KM
“Yes you did! ”
No. They didn’t
AK: 1
KM: 0
PV
“Can’t imagine what St. Louis is thinking.”
That their valuations of the players are different
Now that the complete offer is out there I don’t think the Giants could top it nor should they have tried.
Hats off to the Cards, they got a haul.
It’s bloom… Nothing makes sense
I would take Fonovan over Andijar all day. He also has played pretty well at 3B. He has not shown plus side defense at 6 positions tho. At LF and 1B hes been basically avg. 2B he was barely below avg and he has not played SS very well.
As for plus side defense, he has played very well at 3B and RF. With the hole Ms had at 3B I really line this move.
I cant help but feel Cijntje was a bit overrated due to the novelty of pitching with both hands. It seems most believe his future is primarily as a RH, which when separated from LH his #s look much better. Still seems as tho he allows a decent bit of baserunners for where hes ranked as a prospect. Ive only seen him pitch once but have read about him a few times, his #s just dont look elite and hes still got one more level prior to hitting MLB. I hope he has an amazing career and Id love seeing a pitcher throw with both arms at MLB level, I just can’t help but be a bit skeptical. Many players with even better #s have tripped up when advancing to AAA let alone MLB.
All and all tho this seems like a decent haul for Cards and an immediate improvement for Ms. To me it seems they are team to beat in AL West as long as A’s dont further emerge. Would have never guessed that Id be thinking A’s emerging in 2026 was even remotely possible, hopefully their owner doesn’t squander all the talent they ve amassed.
I don’t know any of the received players. I’d like someone to do a dive in comparing what St. Louis got back with their original alleged demands from Boston and other clubs.
I see your point. I would still sign Andujar to a minors contract.
They offered more than 3 prospects and 2 draft picks?
Do you think that Andujar would take a Minor League contract? I would think that a lot of teams would jump at that opportunity with him. I did not want to see the Mariners acquire Andujar instead of Donovan but still feel that they could use one more bat and he would be nice. I have a feeling that the M’s feel they are done hitting wise but maybe they still want one more relief pitcher? That would be great. Danny Coulombe is still out there….You can never have enough pitching.
Everyone would “take” Donovan over Andujar. Prior to knowing what the package was (and I assumed it would be a steeper price) I mentioned Andujar would be “just fine” for the role, better than fine if he stayed healthy and performed for a complete season. 15 MM over 3 years is a Mariner type move. I’m happy with the outcome, I wasn’t very high on either of the 3 sent to STL/TB and the Nariners kept their stellar pitching staff in tact, improved the bullpen and took nothing away from their big-league roster over the next 2 to 3 seasons and rather improved the roster going into yet another WS window. Go Mariners!
I Like your take. Do you think they improved their Bullpen enough? Like the fact that we got Ferrer from the Nats but That was a tired group going into the playoffs last year. Feel like they need one more quality bullpen arm. Your thoughts KiilinB?
Great trade for M’s! Let’s see what they are giving up lst though.
They are giving up Jurrangelo Cijinte and Ben Williamson it looks like,.
And Tai Peete
I was thinking of him before it was announced.
@Astros71- Looks like a haul from where I’m standing. What do you think about it?
Yeah, I would think so. Not on a king’s ransom level, but one that gives the Cards more than they should. I don’t think Seattle cares much about Williamson, so that’s that.
Cjintie for Donovan is my borderline, I would not have included Tai Peete in the deal. This is a lot to give up for Donovan, if he hit .300, had 3 years of control, more power, or other, sure. But yeah, from my standpoint, it’s too much.
That’s a pretty nice package for Donovan. Bloom did a nice job waiting.
3 prospects and 2 pretty nice draft picks for a so-so 2B is what I would call a steal. Cubs turned #68 into Jaxson Wiggins just to put some context to it. Cubs could have gotten half a team for Hoerner then.
Unclemike,
Calling Donovan a soso second baseman explains why you think this is a steal. It also explains that you don’t know how good Donovan is and how highly other teams obviously think of him.
I think Donovan is pretty good, but with this package, it’s not a steal. It’s a fleece by the Cardinals.
If the rest of baseball thought he was worth a whole lot this would have been done a lot sooner. The Mariners were just down to their last 2B option so they overpaid a little. Losing a couple of prospects and a supplemental draft pick they got for free isn’t a big loss for them but is huge for the Cardinals. Calling Donovan anything but average is just in Cardinal fans minds who have been over hyping their prospects trade value here for years. Just be glad Bloom knows what he’s doing. Still have no idea why the Red Sox got rid of him.
You’re overvaluing Cijntje. The switch pitching experiment was over in Seattle and that’s where half his value was for us. A strictly right handed pitcher with average stuff and average control… meh. If we were going to part with one of our top 10 prospects, I’m glad it was him.
Sad to see Williamson go, but his ceiling was capped. I like Peete for his upside. Losing him is my least favorite part of this trade.
In terms of sheer value, STL did well. You could argue the M’s overpaid a bit, but this is hardly a fleece, especially if Donovan puts up another 115 wRC+ season.
It was the Rays giving up the draft pick not the M’s. Donovan is not average at all. Statistically, as a hitter he’s about 20% above league average for his career in fact (119 wrc+). He is an adequate defender by reputation (I don’t have numbers), but his defensive versatility is what the M’s are valuing here.
They BOTH gave the Cards a draft pick.
Right. you are… must have missed that or it changed after I read it.
It’s a lot to give up for a platoon player
LMAO! If this is all we gave up for Donovan, then I was wrong completely wrong about Dipoto! Williamson can’t hit, Chintje projects as a #4, and Tai Peete has a 35% strikeout percentage. Honestly, the most painful loss was the Comp pick. But ok, Astros knows the M’s farm system better than we do! Lmfao
A platoon player that can leadoff, which the Mariners didn’t have.
I think it’s probably a good trade when both fanbases are happy.
In all honesty yes, I could not agree more. I liked the prospects that Seattle gave up, but it wasn’t back breaking. Ben Wlliamson to me hurt the most, and Cjintje was a fun guy to discuss, but is blocked by our outstanding pitching depth. The two Comp picks were a great get for the Cardinals. It was a “slight” overpay by Seattle, and one they could easily afford with their abundance of prospects. This is what contending teams are supposed to do. Rays got the best player in my opinion in Williamson. Kid would’ve won a gold glove at 3rd had he stayed up all last year. And if he ever learns how to hit, even just a little bit, he’s a star! Peete is a throw in with very loud tools. If he figures out how to use them then great. Good lottery ticket.
@myaccount Im glad to see someone else viewing Cijntje as overrated. I cant help but feel the novelty of a switch pitcher has bolstered his ratings immensely. Hes only hit AA level and has seemed a little to apt to allowing baserunners for how high hes ranked.
Now Id love to see a switch pitcher at MLB level. I have heard the same that his future is with right arm and seems to not be anywhere near elite as far as MLB level talent.
@ohyeadam That platoon player has shown to have a nice glove especially at 3B where Ms had a need. Hes going to enjoy a ton of protection in thay lineup and having a more consistent role defensively could allow him more time to focus on his swing and approach at the plate.
This was a nice haul for STL and Donovan was not likely the make break for contending in next 2 seasons with what’s left on their roster. But looking back on majority of trades, more often than not prospects come up short of expectations. I think looking back its going to be the comp pics that will make or break this trade judging in hindsight down the road.
Tigers, he’s a good player and has a lot of skills. Hitting lefties isn’t one of them. Mariners needed a 2B or 3B and for the package I would’ve thought they could get a full time player. Maybe that player wasn’t available. Doesn’t look like Marte will be traded, and would require a better package
Okay I guess .325 OBP vs LHP is okay. Read his ops wrong as .615 but it’s actually .651 which is okay for a good glove
@Tigers3232- I agree completely. Disliked the pick and the prospect didn’t change my mind. He was a below average minor leaguer with his left arm. I wouldn’t be surprised if he never really gets traction in the bigs and just washes out. Not rooting against the guy or anything, but I don’t see where his future value really lies.
He was a below average minor leaguer with his left arm.
What about his right arm? He’s pretty good with that.
Donovan is much more than a platoon player. Yes, he has a career 88 wRC+ vs LHP but his defensive versatility makes him average vs them.
He is extremely good vs RHP (130 wRC+) and the Astros’ only LHSP is currently 10th on their depth chart.
The Rangers have 2 LHSP on their 40 man (out of 10) and fangraphs projects them as #3 and #5.
Unc-
I don’t see this as an overpay at all. Donovan is top 4 OBP in baseball the last few years, plays solid D and will lead off for the M’s with consistency they haven’t seen in what feels like a lifetime.
Cjinte may be able to put it all together but I see his ceiling as a 4 or 5, possibly a high leverage guy out of the BP eventually
Peete has tools but his 35% SO rate in HIGH A is extremely concerning considering it’s only going to get harder to hit as he climbs the ranks.
I’ll miss Ben. He was a solid 3B, batted .253 in his rookie season but provides no power or base running value. M’s clearly didn’t have a long term spot for him with the plethora of infield prospects they possess.
This was a good trade for both sides. STL is rebuilding and M’s window is now. They had to get this done.
AK
“Donovan is top 4 OBP in baseball the last few years”
He’s 15th since 2022
Not in the top 30 since 2023
28th since 2024
Out of the top 30 last year
fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&st…
I think the Cards were the losers of this trade. They got a lot of nothing.
@Robbly Well said. If prospects dont pan out or Donovan were to suffer an ACL tear people might be critical in hindsight. But with current state of both clubs and their needs(I kinda view Rays as an afterthought here) this seems like a great move for both clubs.
Hopefully Donovan is one of pieces to get a franchise their first World Series win and knock off the Dodgers. It seems like a tall task, but thats why the games are played.
@ohyeah He’d have been everyday 3B on most teams. He was blocked by a 10 time Gold Glover at the position. He also seemed to fill the role Edman had occupied, which the Cards had success using a talent player at utility in a Zobrist role.
I like the trade for all parties. I’m a Cardinals fan and the Mariners are getting a hell of a player but the Cardinals picked up high ceiling prospects and a couple decent draft picks. Donovan plays all over the field practically and does it well. He may never be a big power guy but I see him as a 15-20 home run guy. He’s a guy you don’t want to face when you are in a jamb he’s not a guy who’s going to get himself out or kill a bunch of rallies with double play balls. He seems to have a super high baseball IQ whatever the situation is he takes the right approach. The Mariners farm system is stacked enough they can afford to let some of it go for two years of Donovan at Pennie’s on the dollar
Bloom will turn the Cardinals farm system into the powerful weapon it used to be. Hopefully The Cards owners will give him the money to sign some FA’s after the CBA is ratified and everyone is on the same page and they ward off Mozeliak’s wasted contracts. Gotta say as a Cub fan I’m not looking forward to it.
Look at Boston now after Bloom!!!
To be a contender in the American League East …. They’ve had to take 2 of the Cardinals All-Stars that Bloom has provided them with. Bloom and the Cardinals is also paying Boston $26 million for Boston to take them.
The Cards and M’s did fine here. Not sure about the Rays. Donovan is not all that sexy, but he’s exactly what the Mariners have been lacking. The second gets off the plane he will lead the team in career OBP. That’s really all you ned to know. Mariners already have all the pieces in place to squeeze maximum value out of him. He also solves what was a messy and risky defensive alignment in the infield in 2026, and an absence in left field in 2027. Cards get a lot of pieces back to play with (time will tell is the game as always), but the truth is the market for Donovan started caving in with the Arraez and Suarez signings. This was not their original asking price.
I just asked for a comparison with what supposedly was the asking price. I’m not sure how much a role the recent signings actually played because Seattle and Boston were known to be the two biggest suitors for Donovan.
All of the reporting I had read earlier in the offseason speculating about a Donovan acquisition suggested Cintje was always gonna be part of any potential package. The other names that kept surfacing were Montes and Arroyo so when the other prospect turned out to be Peete that amounts to a pretty big downgrade in talent. It was also reported that the asking price was high and the Mariners were balking, so if something changed it was likely the price coming down.
I’m not sure exactly how to weigh the comp B pick, but I don’t get the sense that anyone in Seattle saw a role for Williamson going forward so he was just a throw in. Obviously Tampa must view him a little differently, but there is no obvious reason to believe his bat plays at the MLB level. Either way, all of the Seattle beat writer types, who watch these things closely are extremely happy with this exchange.
mlbtraderumors.com/2025/12/mariners-giants-front-r…
At the time SF and Seattle were said explicitly to be the two biggest suitors, so when SF signed Arraez to play 2B, that impacts the market for Donovan more than any other one thing theoretically. Supply and demand right? Demand being the bigger part of the story here.
Boston was in the market, but Seattle was always better positioned to get him and the Cards would rather come up with a package made from the M’s farm system with Cintje as the key piece than anything Boston had to offer.
Nobody got fleeced here, I dunno why people are saying that. This is how these things work, the M’s have a deep farm and that is the resource they choose to leverage in order to get what they need at a dollar cost they are comfortable with. If that is your general strategy you have to be willing to trade away prospects. The Mariners needed a Donovan, they can’t afford that type of hitter (Bo Bichette, it’s been argued) on the open market so they traded from a strength to get him.
The people describing Donovan as a platoon bat just don’t understand the context of how well he fits in Seattle. Furthermore, a true platoon bat cannot provide positive value as an everyday player and that is not an accurate description of him.
Cintje is a high floor guy who was redundant in the M’s system in my view, but not an uber prospect or anything like that. The rest of the Cards return is lottery tickets. Which is totally fine. This is what Donovan is worth. Both teams got what they needed out of this.
I think the M’s and Rays are the clear winners here. Cards got prospects the M’s and Rays were willing to give up. Rays got the best piece the M’s gave up, imo. I would have given the Cards as many Tai Peete’s as they wanted.
CC
“Cards got prospects the M’s and Rays were willing to give up”
That is how trades work
BTV has the trade as mostly even for everyone
JuanUribe – My response is to those that believe the Cards got “a haul” or an overpay for Donovan. The Cards lost this trade big time. You’ll see.
I remain unimpressed with your hot take…”BTV has this trade…” Who cares what others say, what do YOU think? I can read BTV’s take if I want. No need to report the internet on the internet.
CC
“Who cares what others say”
Strange question for someone posting on an internet comment board. It’s pretty much all what others say.
“You’ll see”
Pretty unlikely I’ll remember you or this discussion like 5 years from now
My response to the rest of these comments is the Cards got 5 guys for 1 so so 2B is a haul. I put Donovan in the middle of the pack of 2nd baseman in baseball maybe less depending on WHO exactly plays 2B this year with a bunch of guys like Bichette, Gimenez, Altuve with exact positions unknown as of yet. Plus you can’t even logically say anything like the Cards got nothing with two of the players being draft picks unknown as of right now. Donovan is nothing special so my take of steal of 5 for 1 still stands. The Rays and Mariners did fine because they gave up prospects that really didn’t hurt them much as the draft picks they gave were basically GIFTED to them by baseball thus cost them nothing. Everybody got something they wanted, Cards and Bloom got prospects, Mariners got the 2B they needed, and Rays got a 3B prospect they obviously like. Everybody is happy. So what’s the problem?
The Mariners got …. Not just a fantastic ball player, he’s an outstanding individual who, in turn, is a team player and Positive leader in the clubhouse.
The Cardinals got the Mariners Wishful thinking Prospects!!!
What are the Rays doing here?
Chillin
Bout to be the winners of this trade in 3 years time. 😂
Wouldn’t be so sure given their recent output
“Bout to be”…Exactly. The Rays specialize in 3 team trades; they give up virtually nothing and usually end up winning these trades in “3 years time”.
Yes and wow, a “Switch Pitcher” sounds frightening on the mound.
Donovan was needed. If M’s win WS it will be worth the draft pick
Same thing they always do. They are the third team in stuff like this.quite a bit. I have no stats or proof, but I would bet the Rays have been involved in nearly 50% of all multi-team deals over the last decade or so. Seems that way anyway.
Rays love a good 3-way. Who can blame them?
Alright landlord.
Not sure how good it was for them, but the other teams always seem to leave satisfied.
Of course they love a good 3 way, there’s a Skyline Chili right up the road in Clearwater.
Mmmm…Skyline Chili!
Depends on who the third partner may be 😬
I’m sure McClanahan or Caminero or someone actually decent is going to be leaving. Not too many good Rays left for us fans to cheer for. In all actuality, probably Diaz going to St. Louis.
Why would the rebuilding Cardinals want Diaz?
Not in this trade. Not anywhere. It would take a lot to get Caminero and nobody is offering what the Rays want for McClanahan.
Last time mcclanahan was pitching he was an ace and the rays need pitchers like that right now
Tigers should trade Skubal.or somebody for him…..
Except you never know what he will return as. If you have doubts a nice offer now might be more than you can get later. Of course the opposite is also true so I guess you trust your staff and doctors.
I assume the Rays are in the trade to provide St. Louis something the Mariners can’t: probably a better pitching prospect. Maybe it’s Cijintje and Williamson to the Rays, more high-probability pitcher to the Cards, Donovan to the M’s?
What a funny comment. The Rays can’t, their best pitching prospect is Brody Hopkins, which is ironically from Seattle. No, it’s Cijinte and Peete to the Cards, and a Rays prospect.
Brody Hopkins is a pretty good pitching prospect, but the entire world continues to sleep on Ty Johnson. Tampa Bay has several live arms at various levels of the farm even if that isn’t reflected on lists that can often suffer from myopia or tunnel vision.
Apparently staying at Steinbrenner Field…
That’s the only part I’m not sure about. The Cards and the M’s did fine. Williamson is as advertised with the glove at 3B, possibly elite, but he’s a slap hitter, small in stature, not very fast, and doesn’t walk much. He’s not without value, but unless the Rays can sprinkle some magic dust here, I don’t see much offensive upside at all.
Is Williamson worth what the Rays gave up for him? I don’t see it at the moment. Maybe they think Ledbetter is a bust. That would kind of make it make sense.
Yeah who knows, I mean the Rays must have a reason.
Had to get a 3rd team involved to get it over the line. The Cards obviously wanted an OF prospect. Dipoto told them that Laz Montez wasn’t available. So Dipoto had to get creative, and called Tampa, who probably approached them about Williamson in the past, and were willing to send an OF prospect and comp pick to St. Louis for Ben.
I’m not entirely sure the Cardinals WANTED Montez. the guy has big power, but he’s a DH if he can even make enough contact to progress. Although I’m not sure who’s contact rate is worse, him or Peete.
Peete fell flat on his face at high A. He’s still very young, but he’s got serious flaws and he’s fallen in the rankings a lot over the last 12 months. I still think both teams did fine here, but I”m glad the M’s only dealt one guy from their top 10. No other player not the trade market fits in Seattle quite like Donovan. I’m stoked.
Cards racing for basement.
We like the basement.. Prolly won’t see me at the park for a couple years. Sad times to be a Cards fan.
I like what they’re doing. Bloom is acquiring pitching that was his mistake in Boston. He is a good evaluator though.
Bloom was very good at revamping the Red Sox farm system, but not very good at managing the ML roster. He will do well for STL, but in a couple of years when these kids develop and the Cardinals are ready to compete, they should move on from Bloom.
Fenway, how can you say what he’ll be like two or more years from now. Like DD before him and Breslow now, certain decisions were not his. Yes he made mistakes, especially with pitching but hopefully he learned.
If you can’t support the team while rebuilding then why support them when they’re winning? Pretty bold to say we then follow it up with I’m not going to any games while the team rebuilds.
The Cards have the 3rd most regular season wins of any team over the last 25 years behind the Yankees and Dodgers. Cards just love the basement.
It’s just a hard pill to swallow giving how the team has been over the years. We all complain about teams on here. It’s just a new model some of us aren’t used to.
That’s typical of the most arrogant fans in baseball. When they are bad the fair weather fans stay home. They would never have a fan base like Philly or the Cubs and pack the stadium every day no matter what the record is.
Talk to me when the Pirates finish ahead of your Cardinals. Until then, you don’t know pain, sir
I understand what you are saying, but the STL fanbase is regional. It is not necessarily all that desirable to drive 200 to 500 miles to catch a ballgame when Memphis or Springfield may be closer to watch some of these new minor leaguers develop.
Regional? I’m just outside London.
Go Cards!
I’m on the coast of N.Carolina, and I love the Cardinals. I would do almost anything to see them play. I’m thankful for them, Bad or Good. It doesn’t matter. I can’t wait to see where we will end up in 2-3 years from now. It’s an exciting time I think. But that’s just me. I’ve loved them since the late 70’s..
Meh, typical of someone who praises the cubbies. Maybe check your attendance stats first. Last year was the first years cards haven’t had some of the best attendance in the league. Cards fans are loyal but and they can tolerate off years, but they were very upset about the way the team was handled. Refusal to make easy cheap moves that would have helped the team. Underfunding player development. Raising ticket prices significantly during all this. While cards fans don’t have a history of doing this, I support fans making their frustration clear to ownership.
As a Reds fan I am with you brother. All we hear about is how great the cardinals fans are while they are winning of course.
Del… And that’s a typically smug Card fan reaction. Ya just can’t bear to give it up for the Cubs- ever. Funny, cause I always respected the Cardinals on the field.
You obviously don’t know many Cubs fans. I’ve lived in Chicago for 30 years. The fans who go to games go for the frat party atmosphere. You’ll see them taking more selfies than watching the game. They have a unique combination of arrogance and utter ignorance of the game.
Nah. It was an appropriate response to a factually inaccurate post. Nothing smug about mimicking the unnecessary commentary of the factually inaccurate post.
FWIW, i was thrilled the Cubs did that Bregman deal. Can’t wait to see what it does for them.
BH
“If you can’t support the team while rebuilding then why support them when they’re winning? ”
Reminder that this idea of “loyalty” is just marketing to get you to spend you money on baseball regardless of how good the team is.
There is nothing wrong with not buying a good product.
And I’m in Vancouver! But next time I’m at my Cards game will be when that orange stain is washed away. Go Cards!
By then Alberta and Quebec will be the 51st and 52nd states!
This rebuild should have started a couple years ago. Better than Mo muddling around to just miss the wild card each year. His mistake was signing middling free agents like Leake and Fowler. It was all downhill after that. May as well build a strong farm since they can’t spend with the big boys. We will be back before long.
Agreed but as a fan of a team that has no direction, I’d love to be able to follow an actual rebuild. To get to watch prospects make it or not, to have hope of better days ahead.
Robbly,
It’s a BIG region.
LOL – Cards will still beat the Bucs like a drum, even if they fielded a AAA team. That’s just the way they (usually) roll. They might finish behind in the standings but they will win the season series.
Cards 312… The echo of your whining about 2016 is in every word of your smug vent. I love it.
Because “rebuilding” entails the team convincing their fans that they are too poor to contend and actually buy in to the idea of said team shipping out all of its best players. You’re actually buying in to a team sucking for years on end with a theoretical championship team being built someday maybe.
Why should fans support their team when their team says “we are trading all of your favorite players, please still give us money and come to games”? The teams have the money in the first place.
W>C
“Why should fans support their team…”
Fans should support their team when when they want and not when they don’t want.
There’s nothing morally superior about sticking with your team in the tough times. And nothing wrong with wrong with supporting them during the tough times
Juan Uribe: I agree, fans can support a team when they want or when they don’t want. I just find it amusing that the “rebuild” narrative from teams gets fans to root for their team to try to lose and get mad at their team when they try to win…and then moralize against other fans who “just don’t get it”.
So you’re a fan only when they’re winning. okay
Epitome of a band wagon fan. Typical of a lot of Cardinal fans I know.
During a teardown and rebuild, if the team doesn’t lower prices [and most do not], only a moron would pay full price to go to games. If the team puts out a AAA team, most rational people will only spend as much as an AAA ticket.
If you want to crow about being a dedicated fan and profligate with time and money, that’s your prerogative but I would argue only the young and foolish do such a thing,
Ha! Having lived in Seattle for 20 years, it doesn’t get more bandwagon than with Seattle sports, especially with the Ms!
As someone living in Seattle, this town is FULL of bandwagon jumpers. Go to a game in St Louis and you’ll meet far more knowledgeable fans. M’s fans are either eating or on their phones and in general, don’t know doodie about baseball.
The Cardinals have been among the 10 lowest average ticket prices in baseball for years. They’re one of two teams that allow you to take your own food and drinks into the park. A Cardinals game is a cheap game compared to 28 other MLB games.
The Cardinals have all kinds of fans. Smart, dumb, bandwagon, arrogant jerks, rose-colored glasses, everything.
Believe me, the worst part about being a Cardinals fan is “other Cardinals fans.”
Lowering payroll and the quality of the product but not lowering prices sucks.
As an M’s fan this is true. Seattle fanbase can be so wishywashy. It drives me crazy! Toronto fans come across the border in droves from British Columbia to our stadium, and make us feel like an away game in our own stadium, especially when we aren’t good. I love talking with fans at the game from other teams. Wayyyy better conversations. And MOST, not all, are very respectable.
To improve the Cardinals they first have too have the Dewitt’s to SELL!! The only way!
my uncle is a huge fan and that’s exactly what i was thinking. poor guy is up there in years and kind of doubtful he’ll live to see them turn around. the MLB is a better place w a competitive Cards club.
So be it. The Cardinals have had no direction since 2020, truth be told. Fans have been wanting this to happen back in 2024. We’ll take a few suck years to get back to consistent winning.
We have never had a farm like this before. And it just got even better. I am a long time Cardinal fan but I am excited to see the young players compete and try to get us back to our winning tradition.
H. – as a Red Sox fan I can tell you that Chaim is easy to dislike…..but he does a damn fine job of tearing it down
I’m impressed with all the deals so far. He’s definitely good at the demo. Here’s hoping he can build it back better.
n2theCards- no, he can’t build utterly back, LOL, but serioysly, great at the tear down
SS3- there’s always a first for everything! LOL
Rumor has it that Fredbird will be traded next and if that happens who will be the face of the franchise? However,with getting a starting pitcher who can throw both left and right handed this could make for a kerfuffle when a switch hitter comes to the plate. Who gets to switch last? 100 losses are definitely possible.
A switch pitcher versus a switch hitter sounds fun
batter switches last
Not if the pitcher drops his glove on the field and goes old school suicide mode…..
Complete opposite of Suarez for 3rd. Obp, low strike out, can actually field 3B. Interesting to see what they give up.
Who says Donovan’s the 3b? ALL signs point to that being Colt Emerson. This is a guy to play all over, stating at a different position nightly, like Ben Zobrist used to do.
Well assuming Cole Young doesnt crater he will be at 2nd, and Emerson won’t be ready until later in the season so Donovan will get a lot of time at 3rd
I would love if Emerson forces the issue, but I don’t expect him up until mid-season. I suspect Donovan will essentially be the everyday 3B but move around a bit.
I think a lot of weird things would have to happen in order for Emerson to break camp with the MLB club, but it could happen I guess. Dipoto has basically insinuated that 2B is Young’s job to start out the season.
Donovan can play most anywhere. I imagine he’ll slot in for whoever isn’t producing. If Colt or Cole is cold, then thats an easy fix.
Red Sox are gonna get who now?
David Hamilton will somehow still be on the team I guess
Oh no! The perfectly serviceable and valuable utility player will be on the team! Get the pitchforks!
let’s see the cost. As for Hamilton, he likely still won’t be on the opening roster barring injuries.
Hamilton will be the starting 2B on opening day!
I hope not. If that is the case the Sox chances of making the playoffs would drop significantly. Hamilton is at best a pinch runner unless he can finally find his swing (showed a bit of potential in 2024). I would not expect Hamilton to even make the team to start the season. He can serve as a backup in AAA.
Interesting fact: David Hamilton and Brendan Donovan had the exact same bWAR in 2024.
Going to have to dig into that. fWAR has Donovan with twice as much value in 2024.
You want to check that again? I am seeing Hamilton at 1.0bWAR and Donovan at 2.7bWAR in 2024
Kevin 23, those were last year’s numbers (which are naturally the most relevant). He cited 2024, when Donovan and Hamilton had essentially the same bWAR.
Ah, yes, my mistake.
Campbell will win the 2b job
Campbell, in fact, will not win the 2b job.
There are places we can wager on such things…I bet… in fact. So long as they continueto make no moves..he will ..this is mainly because its obvious to those paying attention that cora and breslow want him to at this point..plus he is the most talented highest paid option currently on the team
Campbell is NOT playing 2B, he is strictly being played solely in the OF per Cora. Which makes absolutely ZERO sense considering their OF is already too crowded with young players like Rafaela, Anthony, Abreu, and Duran.
Alex Speier mentioned Campbell has been in ft Myers since early January working out at 2b….so..gotta ask why? If there is no chance he plays there this year…Google it its pretty easy to find
Chris Cotillo says otherwise:
x.com/ChrisCotillo/status/2018107745661079612
“ The Red Sox feel like they did Campbell something of a disservice by shoehorning him into the 2B position based on need last year and have preached the importance of “Let’s put him in the OF, let his athleticism take over, remove a variable and let him rake.” To that end, pulling the rug on that and … shoehorning him into the 2B position based on need again … just doesn’t seem like the smart thing to do (or what they’ll do). I’d guess Opening Day WooSox outfield over Opening Day Red Sox infield.”
Most likely, Campbell will be at AAA to start the year, and I think his future will be in the outfield.
Interesting because all I have heard since his poor performance at 2nd last year was he was moving to the outfield where his defense won’t be an impediment. We will get a better idea in spring training, but I assume he will be in the minors to start the season.
His future may be at AAA for awhile.
So did speier make it up?…plus things change like i dunno Rafi being a dh only then asked to play 1b etc..
x.com/BOSSportsGordo/status/2017637058542534773
Per Alex speier kristian Campbell has been working out at both 2b and of in ft Myers since early January…so…maybe cotillo and Speier can duke it out lol
Pool- Interesting that he has been working out both at second and outfield. Maybe they are giving him another chance to showcase his skills. I just can’t imagine they would give him another shot at second if they are looking to improve the defense.
I wonder if they’re hoping he can be a utility player playing multiple positions: corner outfield, centerfield, first base, and second base, in that order. They want him to continue getting some reps at second, but only have to use him there in a pinch.
Definitely a possibility since they don’t have an opening in the outfield. I am sure their hope is that eventually he will have a set spot assuming he can get his offense straightened out. It seems like the outfield is set for the foreseeable future unless they trade both Duran and Yoshida.
The Cardinals still have FOUR extra second basemen on the 40-man. Thomas Saggese and José Fermín both bat right-handed. Only one of them is needed in St. Louis. Just sayin’. 🙂
dougdeb nobody cares about the Red Sox. Thier fans are the most arrogant fans around.
Thank god it is not Donovan. The infatuation with this slightly above average hitter that is not a great fielder is mind boggling.
People were screaming to move someone like Tolle or Early in order to get him. Look what the Mariners gave up.
Not as mind bogging as your post.
He was not the right fit for the Sox, but may be better suited for Seattle’s needs. I am glad we did not end up overpaying for him.
This might actually be the most ignorant comment on this feed… congrats.
Cards- Are you talking about me saying he was not the right fit for the Sox? No offense to Donovan, we just need a right handed bat who hits with power. Giving up anything significant for a left handed bat made no sense.
Nolan gorman? 🤣 and jojo romero
I wouldn’t want to pay to watch a guy hit no homers all year. Borrrrring. Isaac Paredes maybe? Ketel Marte? They should have signed Eugenio Suarez.
Good move SEA!! Get ’em!
What a sad summer of watching Nolan Gorman swing and miss 200 times plus
Gotta beat out Saggese first
And Wetherholt and any infielder we might get back in this trade.
Swinging and missing is fine as long as it isn’t for strike 3…
Swing away!!!
This. If he hits 30 dingers he’s doing fine.
Great move by Seattle
I’ll reserve my excitement until it’s clear what we’re giving up.
It’s still a great move by the Mariners
Mariners get a really good baseball player, Cardinals get a really nice haul! I like it for both teams
Yeah I hope we didn’t do something stupid like 3 top 100s
Whatever the give, Donnie is a great get for you guys. Think you’re going to be real happy with him.
Pleased for him that hes on a good team now.
I think at this move it is a GREAT move. The lineup needed another bat. It didn’t have to be an All-Star, but someone that plays solid D and does not kill your lineup.
Nice get!
wow big move!
My first thought when I saw Logan Evans out for the year is it would make sense to include him in a deal for Donovan. I’m curious to see if he is part of the package.
He has no value right now so he will either come back when he’s healthy or get DFA’d
Doesn’t he have 5 more years of control? I’m not saying he would be the centerpiece of any trade just thought he could be a viable part of the package.
all join me in prayer and chanting, or abstaining…..
“Make it a good/great return, please.”
thanks
Cardinal Nation
I hope so, it’s always nice when fans of either teams in a trade are happy
That’s now three different three team trades for the Rays this offseason. That’s gotta be a new record, right?
Donovan a top 35 batter in the league
Then how did his OPS rank 60th?
Becuase his strikeout to walk is very good, a lot better than most, he puts the ball in play and makes the defense work.
With most teams that were interested having already found alternatives for their respective infield needs, I wonder if the asking price is more realistic now.
Hopefully we’ll find out soon.
Three team deal with the Rays as well. Waiting on the final word.
To quote a classic post: I love this trade for the Rays. Who did they give up? And who’d they get?
Hope the Cards get a boatload in return. They deserve quite a lot. Donovan is underrated.
“Deserve’s got nuthin’ to do with it”
Nitpicking!
Good week to be a Seattle sports fan.
Does Donovan really qualify as an “impact bat”?
Amen. Donavan’s 119 OPS+ would tie for 6th place (with Randy Arozarena) among Mariner regulars last season..
Plus Donovan rarely strikes out. Only struck out like 35 times last year.
35…67…same thing right?
And only 117 OPS+ for his career. Just a good not great consistent ballplayer. There is some value in that. Prospects are almost all lottery tickets. 17% better than the average Joe for the next couple years without breaking the bank is a good add for the M’s…
Donovan also flirts with a .400 obp vs righties. Missed it by .017 last season.
Obp and SLG are not equals as ops suggests.
Let’s go! His versatility is something Dipoto has sought for awhile. Now to see what we gave up…
very strange seattle didnt offer eugenio anything (more than 1/15 that cincy gave him). 49 hr, 118 rbi, solid playoffs
emerson is ready for the majors and can play 3b too…
I hear you!
Finally! Weird timing though, Dipoto and Hollander were at the State Capitol today being honored for the 2025 season…
I wonder if Jojo Romero is involved in the trade to bring in the Rays.
Hate it
The disparaging remarks about Donovan’s value (particularly his bat) just show how severely underrated this guy is. Mariner’s fans are going to LOVE him, his bat will play extremely well in both Seattle’s lineup and ballpark.
Sorry Stan. Long time M’s fan here. Based on a loooooong history of diminished offense once a guy becomes an M, Donovan will shrink to .243/298/367 with 5 homeruns and 46 rbi’s. Just sayin’ Really like the trade though. Ben Williamson has a chance to be a pretty good MLB third sacker and I hope he does.
Yeah just like Josh Naylor hit so poorly when he got to Seattle. It’s not inevitable that Donovan will struggle at all.
40 year M’s fan here so I get what you’re saying. However, Donovan is very consistent year to year and he is elite (or near elite) in contact/on base skills. A .298 OBP would be truly bizarre and inexplicable for him. TMobile is usually a lot more unkind to hitters who sell out for power (like Geno). Also the Mariners lineup has suffered a lot in recent years from poor builds and hitting philosophy as much as the home park factor. I”m not saying it isn’t a thing, but I think we’re starting to see that you can offset it with a tweak in approach and that there are types of hitters who’s skillset is better suited for the park (Josh Naylor for instance). Brendan Donovan has a perfect profile for TMobile, and the Mariners have targeted him very specifically because of that. Not to mention the fact that he solves a bunch of questions and problems for us defensively over the next 2 years.
It’s too early to know for sure, but it won’t hurt that the lineup around BD will be better than what he has been playing besides offensively the last couple of years.
This is an absolutely ATROCIOUS take. Donovan isn’t all of a sudden going to drop 70-80 points in OBP, that doesn’t make any sense at all. If he does take a less-power approach, that number is going to go up, not down. He hits to the gaps and doesn’t swing and miss, he’s literally the perfect table-setter for the M’s with how good he is at getting on base. His profile is built for spacious outfields.
I kinda feel bad for Maysan Winn. My guess is Prieto, Fermin, Saggese will all see a lot of playing time.
1B: Burleson
2B: Wetherholt
SS: Winn
3B: Gorman/Saggese platoon
Prieto and Fermin won’t see the field much.
Who is going to DH?
Cardinals’ best hitter is Ivan Herrera…who really wants to catch, but TBD on that one.
Correcto? But If Herrera catches, Then who will DH?
Herrera most of the time. When he’s catching you use the DH to give a guy a half day off like every other team does.
Fermin really seemed to come on at the end of 2025, and his Triple-A numbers have always been so intriguing, especially his contact skills and K/BB. I think I’d rather see him as an option at third and see Gorman DH against righties.
Fermin had a hot week during the early part of the year and was below average for his playing time in the second half of 2025.
He didn’t make his debut until almost July and OPS’d nearly .800 … are you really parsing up 60 ABs?
He had 70 total PAs, 18 of them above average and 52 below. He hit .389/.450/.667 in the first 18 and then .238/.347/.310 in the last 52. He didn’t “come on” at all at the end of 2025. He fell off a cliff after seeing some major league pitching.
Fermin can really hit. Not much of a fielder anywhere, but he can hit.
Breaking down each plate attempt to be above average or below? That might be a new one for me. Every single one of his multi-hit games was in September, including 3 doubles in the last week, where he hit .286/.412/.393 to end the year. You can find a sample size for anything, man. Bottom line, his arrow is slightly up and he should contend for a job in spring.
He’s about to be playing next to the best 2B prospect in baseball.
He is a good fit and he could potentially move to the outfield to replace Arozarena or Robles once the infield prospects break out
I just hope Seattle can keep one of either cijnte or Montes since those are my favorite prospects
I believe Chintje will be headed to St Louis but we will see. Yes Donovam can certainly play outfield. He’s not a good defender anywhere but hes a great fill in if someone gets hurt.
He is a very good defender.
Jurrangelo probably won’t leave now bc after Evans injury, Cinjte is the most impactful 6th man now
Mariners have been loading up on 6th starter types in recent weeks. Probably in preparation for this.
He’s the guy.
They definitely did when they found out about Logan Evans upcoming surgery. In fact Dipoto said they waited to announce for fear of Criswell’s trade value becoming higher with the mention of Evans missing the upcoming ’26 season.
He has a gold glove. What do you mean not a good defender.
Why wouldn’t the Cardinals want Williamson? He’s under control for 6 years and there is a giant hole at 3b.
Seems redundant with Saggese on the roster.
Three team, he’s very young, goign to the Rays.
That would block Wetherholt and that’s not happening
Wetherholt is going to play 2b. Saggese is a bench guy until he proves otherwise. Williamson would get plenty of opportunity to play.
Williamson is also very much a bench guy till he proves otherwise rn lol. Potato-Potato
He can’t hit. Like, at all.
He can hit, just very very very softly.
Masyn Winn. I am afraid he will be wasted talent.
As soon as they can sign Winn to a long term contract, they will. That’s if he chooses to stay in St Louis. Tightwad owner, Billionaire Bill DeWallet, will have to let the moths fly out his fat wallet though.
Let’s go! Been tired of hearing rumors and how he’s such a good fit but Jerry never finalizing the deal. Thank you!!
Does this make Seattle the favourite in the American League? Discuss.
No.
If not, then who?
West? Yes, I think Seattle is the favorite; but I think Toronto is the clear favorite for the AL. They won last year, almost won the whole thing, and they improved this year, imo.
I think Seattle/Yankees will be a toss up for second place in the AL.
Now, if the M’s clicked and ended up winning the AL, would I be totally shocked? No, I wouldn’t.
still think it’s probably the Jays, but they are a close second in my opinion
Still too many holes they expect young players to fill and big question marks elsewhere.
They are a good team. Maybe the favorite in the West now.
Blue Jays and Yankees are the two best teams.
Seattle is still in the likely playoffs category. Boston, Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland and Houston are all in that tier.
AL West favorite for sure. Tigers in the Central and Jays in the East.
Fangraphs ZIPS had Seattle down for most wins in the AL predicted for 2026. That was a month or so ago which may have changed. They are bringing back the same team minus a little power that fought the Blue Jays to a Game 7 ALCS. If their rotation can stay healthy I don’t see why they couldn’t be #1 but definitely say Top 3 in the AL.
I think the Donovan add is underrated, as is the Mariners offseason in general. I see the Yanks, Jays, and M’s as pretty close on paper. I am a little worried about pitching depth, but I actually believe this is a better lineup than what the M’s brought into the playoffs last year. Definitely less pop, but better on base/contact skills, better defense, and less injury risk. Besides that, there are about 6 guys who have a better than average shot at a bounce back or breakout and you really only need 1 or 2 of them to pop and suddenly this lineup very long and formidable.
The Mariners lineup has had a bit of a one-trick pony problem in the Dipoto era until recently. Dangerous, but manageable with the right approach. Lots of loud contact and decent speed, with way too many strikeouts and not enough walks. Donovan, Naylor, and Refsnyder are the perfect types of hitters to plug those holes and keep opposing pitchers from carving it up. Obviously Cal is Cal, but if Julio Rodríguez ever figures out how to sustain his better stretches over a whole season, this team could lead the AL in scoring while playing half of their games at the worst hitters park in MLB. Not saying it’s gonna happen, but the pieces are in place for something like that I’d argue.
Some luck with health in our excellent starting rotation and good enough bullpen, and WE – COULD – JUST – BE – THE – TEAM to lose to the Dodgers in the World Series. Life is good.
I mean, they already are until someone knocks us off. Astros are old, Rangers don’t have offense. Angels are a joke, but never sleep on the A’s man!
Cardinals had a great competitive run, but doing the smart thing now. When that window closes you gotta blow it up. And it’s obvious that’s what they’re doing.
Cards fan here. You’re getting a baller. He’s fun to watch
AWESOME!
He definitely gives 100%, but I won’t miss hearing him called, Donny,, like a 6 year old boy, every game.
Donny has no frame of reference here. He’s like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie.
Mariners are getting a great player. A couple minor injuries slowed him down last year a little. He plays old school baseball. Moves the runner over, hits to all fields and can move around the whole field. Heck he was the emergency catcher. Good luck to you Donny !
The Cardinals are very much the anti-Dodgers and that their goals and aspirations are to get rid of players who are good in order to shrink their payroll. How that gets their fans excited for an upcoming season. I don’t know because let’s face it. If any of these prospects are good , you can bet your life the Cardinals will trade them before they become free agents. It’s a never-ending cycle of cheapness and mediocrity, and yes, the Pirates have entered the chat.
No one was saying this when they had Pujols, Rolen, and Edmonds around and picking up Larry Walker off the waiver wire. The problem for years has been lack of pitching. They haven’t had a real one two punch since the sole season both Carp and Waino were healthy. That is what happens when you spend 15 years drafting at the back third of the 1st round.
Dodgers have the best farm and constantly draft at the end of the first and forfeit picks. That’s not an excuse at all. That’s silly.
Who other than Bobby Miller have they drafted recently that has done much in MLB? Most of the Dodgers top talent does not come from the draft, and L.A. has several advantages in the international market even considering their limited bonus pool. The Dodgers invest heavily in their scouting department so I really wouldn’t call it silly. I probably should have went with 25 years, but sometimes I think of 2003 as just the other day.
They make really good trades.
And the Cardinals have made some really questionable ones. Traded Shelby Miller for a year of Jason Heyward because their “next big thing” died in a car crash. Panic again and trade Alcantara and Galen for a couple years of mediocre Ozuna when their division rival signed JHey away from them. This rebuild was a long time coming and it is honestly surprising it took this long to arrive.
It was very sad that Taveras died.
Fully agree. Watched him in Springfield the summer of ’12. He was very talented. It’s a reminder that many of us should be grateful to have survived the mistakes of our youth.
Even better question: who were all the Dodgers home grown guys who played a key role in their championship win in 2025? Oh right, it was Ohtani, Yamamoto, Mookie, Freeman, Snell, Glasnow, and Roki that were the difference makers.
Look, the Dodgers are a good organization, they draft and trade as well as anyone. But please, can we stop with all the BS narratives that are meant to sidestep the simple FACT that they have a massive competitive advantage over most other teams. This is self-evident and indisputable. No one can buy a Championship, but you can more or less buy a ticket to the playoffs. And when you show up with virtually every big ticket free agent over the last half-decade (or whatever, I’m just making a point), yeah dude you’re gonna win the World Series a bunch of times. I wouldn’t be so proud of that personally.
@mark
one team sucks right now and lack the financial ability to buy themselves out of it. the other has a $350 billion piggy bank and good leadership. Bad comparison. St. Louis is the winningest franchise in the NL. Don’t out them in the same category as the Marlins.
The only National League Central team with higher payroll than the Cardinals last year were the Cubs. You know that small market team in Chicago!!
So defensive wizz Williamson will be the sacrificial lamb
It was either Williamson and Peete or give up one of the top prospects.
Worked out for Seattle getting Tampa involved.
They lost Polancos production and it wasn’t insignificant. Donovan played less game but his numbers didn’t match up with the former. They’re still contenders, however I don’t see them improved from last season either. So… even Stephen almost.
Really hoping Sloan is coming to STL in this deal. Kid is the real deal
I wish, but I really don’t think that’s happening. I think they value him even more highly than Anderson at this point.
Yeah you’re probably right. I gotta think this was an offer the Cards couldn’t refuse so maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised at the return
My impression is Chaim was holding out for that type of offer but eventually met a middle ground. We will soon see. I’d guess Cijinte, Montes, maybe Celesten in play; I doubt Emerson, Sloan, Anderson, Farmelo are involved. Maybe Arroyo, who’s falling down the defensive spectrum.
Laz has a chance to be another Alvarez. No way im dealing him. Id go Jurrangelo, Arroyo, and Farmelo or Celestin though.
Sloan is a potential ace #1 starter in the making. Yeah he is even ahead of Kade Anderson who may be a #2 at best.
I heard that. Sloan might be better than anyone in our current rotation.
And the Cardinals get…..
Cheaper options to Donovan. That’s top priority for Billionaire Bill.
Great pickup by Seattle. It makes the division a lot harder, so this should but the other GM’s on high alert, especially Dana Brown (if we miss postseason he’s fired). Williamson clears a roster spot, and Tampa takes care of that. I think all they do is send a low level prospect to St Louis or something.
Seems like the Mariners have to be giving up more than Williamson in this trade. Another middling prospect, at least. The Cards are probably going to end up gaining three prospects.
Yes, we have to be trading a top prospect to the cards as well….With the Cards getting a player from us and the Rays….
Cijntje was just added to the story. My guess is the Rays are going to be sending two prospects to the Cards.
Who’s the Cardinals getting in return?
All that matters to tightwad owner, Billionaire Bill DeWallet, is the return will be cheaper than Donovan.
The tightwad owner that has spent a higher percentage of revenue than all but 4 other teams since he bought the Cardinals? Odd way of showing greed.
It’s just central to their little minds that all the small and medium market owners are cheepskates, and all the big market owners are free spending … just by accident! It’s amazing but they actually believe that.
What is the projected payroll supposed to be in 2026? 59 million? Billionaire Bill DeWallet is the last of the big spenders.
The Cardinals on the team payroll will be less than what they are spending to other teams for players they traded away.
Like me some JJ going to be good one
Look out Dodgers and Yanks!
Seems most Cardinals beat writers always want to wait for official word from the club rather than trying to get the scoop on the deal by making a few phone calls or texts. Woo still breaks more than any other beat writer without even primarily covering the Cardinals anymore.
Hoping Laz and Sloan aren’t part of this… definitely on tenterhooks not knowing.
0% chance Sloan is. Hes the best pitching prospect in the game. Concerned about Laz though. I doubt he is. Its probably going to be Jurrangelo, and either Celestin or Arroyo, and a prospect from the Rays…
Actually, McClean and Yesavage are better. So is Bubba Chandler and you own Kade Anderson. I don’t think Donovan is worth 2 top 100’s.
I also like green mambas!
I used to own a Green Mamba before she passed, now im looking into getting another lol.
Anyway, Sloan in my opinion is the best pitching prospect in the game, he is far more advanced than most 20 year old, can run it up near 100. Hes the best pitching prospect we have had since Felix. I have watched him in person on more than a few occasions. Hes absolutely filthy.
Felix Hernandez? Not on that level surly. I am going to say you are overrating Sloan though.
That may be true, Astros. But personally I’m intrigued by Green Mamba’s scouting acumen and choose to believe him/her!
Best pitching prospect since Koufax.
Only Konnor Griffin I think have potential to be a generational player. Not McGonigle, not de Vries, not Made, not McLean, and most certainly not Sloan.
When you say best pitching prospect since Koufax, it means he outperforms Hall of Famers/Future Hall of Famers like Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. And in the past, legends like Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, and Nolan Ryan. Is Sloan better than them. NO
Sloan has a higher ceiling than Kade who projects as a #3, but you know keep on guessing as to what you know about Seattle’s Farm system.
Arsenal- Kade Anderson has 4 plus pitches and plus control, Sloan has 3 plus pitches and plus control. Okay
According to MLB Pipeline, “[Kade Anderson] could move quickly thanks to his advanced pitchability, and if his stuff keeps improving, he could evolve into a frontline starter.”
For Sloan, it’s, “The gloves could come off more this season, with every chance that Sloan could vault to elite pitching prospect status.”
Sure, both have really high ceilings, but who has the higher floor? Either way, they are not better than Nolan Ryan.
Jurangelo going to the Cards… he’s no longer the switch pitcher, they’ve concentrated him on being a RHP, but he’s awesome as that. Sorry to see him go.
I’m very glad to hear that he ditched the switch pitching. I feel a lot better about this now
I don’t think anyone ever really thought he was gonna carry that into the big leagues. I’m not sure why it was even entertained. Now that he’s been traded I kind of wonder if they used that cute little quirk to inflate his profile a little, knowing that it might be useful in a trade scenario. Anyway, he’s still an interesting prospect, just expendable with Anderson and Sloan on the way.
So – with Donovan gone, starting line-up would be (I guess?)
C – Pedro Pages
1B – Alec Burleson
2B – JJ Wetherholt
SS – Masyn Winn
3B – Nolan Gorman
LF – Lars Nootbaar
CF – Victor Scott II
RF – Jordan Walker
DH – Ivan Herrera
They should dump Gorman and give Saggase time at 3rd.
Start Walker in AAA and pick up a RH outfield bat.
It’s probably going to be a pretty straight platoon at third with Gorman (L) and Saggese (R) most days.
Fermin might squeeze in there too because I get the feeling Saggese will be the better backup outfielder of the two.
C- Herrera (Crooks when Herrera is DHing)
1B – Burleson
2B – Wetherholt
3B – Gorman
SS – Winn
LF – Nootbaar (when he gets back from surgery, likely Church until then)
CF – Scott II (hopefully Church when Nootbaar is back)
RF – WAlker
DH – Herrera (60% of the time with someone getting a half day the rest)
Gorman probably has a very short leash at this point, though he does still have minor league options. I’d assume at the very least it’ll be a Gorman/Saggese L/R platoon.
Jurrangelo Cijntje
nice deal for the birds
And most likely something from the Rays.
Tai peete
Also from seattle
Tms have no respect for prospects these days
2 years of light hitting donovan? Especially when m’s coulda signed eug
This is it for them. In two years those great starting pitchers will be Mets and Dodgers and Yankees and Red Sox. Gotta go NOW.
Light hitting? Dude hits close to .300 every year, never strikes out, and has an OPS of almost .800 not exactly what I’d refer to as light hitting. And Suarez is worse than Donavan is, especially for this team.
Idk why you compared Geno to Donovan when they are completely opposite players
Actually I think they dodged a bullet with Geno, as much as I like him and would prefer him to rolling the dice with the youngsters. He’ not the kind of hitter the M’s actually need and he doesn’t really fit into the lineup or defensive scheme they have going right now. Watch, Donny will be a spark plug and allow for proper development of Emerson and Young. Then he’ll be the perfect stopgap when Randy exits at the end of the year.
@chandler –
Donovan posted 119 wRC+ last year, Suarez 125 wRC+.
Donovan has higher career wRC+ than Suarez (119 vs. 113).
They have a track record of similar overall value as hitters, just get there very different ways.
Suarez’s hitting profile is high power low OBP. Donovan is much higher OBP but much less power.
As for projecting hitting performance over the next couple years, I’d be more concerned about the risk of the 34 year old with a lot of swing and miss to his game (Suarez).
Pass, Geno in TMobile sucks. We don’t need a .220 strikout hitter. We need a high OBP versatile leadoff guy. Saves money for Gilbert and Kirby extensions later anyways.
Wonder if this will light a fire under Craig Breslow to overpay in trade to bring one of Ketel Marte or Nico Hoerner to the Red Sox?
Or something completely nuts like a Tarik Skubal blockbuster….anything’s possible now that it’s February
As long as Breslow is not prospect hugging Boston could make a decent offer, but would they meet the Tigers crazy asking price? If they did they’d be the favorites in the AL. Some combo of pitchers and bats: Bello, Tolle, Campbell, Duran et al. I can’t see Breslow meeting the ask. Would it be worth it if it bumps you up to be the favorite to rep the AL in the World Series? Hard call.
YESSSSS!!!!
The Cards get SideShow Bob…..Cijntje. Gimmick
Sigh.
Save us, Tampa….send us something good, please
He’s been focused onto being a RHP: the experiment, from the M’s perspective, ended, so I’d expect the Cards to keep that up. He’s not a gimmick, he’s a dude.
I’ve followed him since his Starkville days. I know he can pitch. And into North Little Rock last summer.
But as an undersized RHP, he has TOUGH road ahead of him….only a few exceptions have succeeded at that height as a starting RHP…..we trade one to Boston a few months ago….Gray
He’s 5″11 not 5″7″. He’ll be fine.
Watching some of his highlights, he reminds me a lot of Stroman
Me crying as I’m 5’7
That was my initial reaction too until I found out he’s sticking with righty. It would’ve been an injury plagued, ineffective career had he not picked a side
He’s a fantastic pitching prospect. Not familiar with the Cards system but he could be their #1.
Cijntje will be our 6th ranked prospect, 2nd ranked pitcher behind Liam Doyle, LHP….according to MlbPipeline
Not #1, but definitely top 10
I’m sure Tampa will send Matz back to the Cards
I have been saying for a couple months now Williamson and Cjintje plus the Mariners comp pick for Donovan and Romero was fair. Weird that both Williamson and Cjintje are in fact in the deal yet Williamson is going to Tampa. Still curious about the rest of the deal.
Great deal for the Mariners!
Jurrangelo Cijntje and Tai Peete to St. Louis, Ben Williamson to Tampa, and…
Are the Rays the designated third team in 3-team trades? Yeesh.
The Pirates lose out on another good third baseman.
They evidently spent too much time on Suarez.
I doubt the Cards would trade in division.
Oviedo and Nunez for Quintana and Stratton (2022)
Interesting.
Seems like a solid pick-up for the M’s if all those are the pieces in play.
Still room for Andujar! And Yandy!
What did the Rays give up? Also would’ve liked to see Jojo head to Seattle, but still a great deal!
Rays are probably sending someone to seattle is my guess
I think they traded a pick to the Cards….
Cijnte and Peete as the main pieces for Donovan is pretty disappointing. I seem to remember Fangraphs recently mentioning Peete as the highest variance prospect in the Seattle system. Seems like a deal that could’ve been made in November, so I don’t think waiting paid off for the Cardinals here. I like Bloom, but this is a C at best.
There is more to this. If it were just 2 prospects from Seattle, Tampa wouldn’t be involved. Romero from the cards could be involved as well.
I think it’s probably a good idea to wait until the trade is announced before calling it a loss lol, the Rays haven’t even given up anything yet for Williamson which is obviously not going to be the final state of things.
It’s Ledbetter and a pick, which is solid value! But my point was about Bloom not being able to secure a better singular headliner in the deal or even value in the aggregate. Goes down as a 50FV, a 40+, a 35+, and the pick. Just wish the 50 didn’t have so much relief risk.
It’s actually two picks, they get a pick from Seattle as well. They now have six picks in the top 86 picks in this year’s draft, which honestly I think is Bloom’s main objective over prospect returns anyways so he can try to bunch major leaguers out of this draft.
Could very well be. Especially interesting with the news today that Mortimer will be running the drafts instead of Flores!
And we are a nose hair away from having a top 5 farm system, hopefully by the end of the draft we will!
Peete is all tools, but they’re pretty sweet tools. If he figures it out, he can be awesome, but honestly he’s a real gamble.
Waiting did not pay off for the Cards. The Giants got Arraez instead, so they had to drop the asking price from Seattle.
Why?
They’re rebuilding, Donovan’s value will never be higher, so they took what they could get. They started off asking for one of Seattle’s starters plus a top prospect, which Seattle laughed at.
They were clearly asking far too much for too long. The Giants finally moved on to Plan B, and Seattle was pretty much the last team remaining to get some prospect talent from.
The Red Sox are loaded at 2B huh
And still ended up with a nice haul!
Yessss!
FGDC Projections
PLAYER wRC+, WAR/PA
Donovan 116, 2.6/581
Cole Young 99, 1.4/399
Ben Williamson 91, 1.2/343
Leo Rivas 93 0.6/175
Since he was mentioned upthread
Andujar 103, 0.8/427
Cardinals have definitely beefed up their SP in the last 6 months: Liam Doyle, Brandon Clarke, Yhoiker Fajardo, and now Jurrangelo Cijntje.in the lower minors, and Hunter Dobbins and Michael Fitts in the upper minors, plus Quinn Matthews nearly ready.
Would love to see a ’28 or ’29 St. Louis rotation with Doyle, Cijntje, and Clarke as the 1-2-3.
Richard Fitts*
Dick Fitts*
Don’t forget Pushard
Chaim Bloom learning from his time with the Red Sox. I like it for you guys.
I think Doyle will be closing and sooner rather than later.
Still waiting to see what the Rays chipped in…
It’s been updated
Ledbetter (#24 Rays Prospect) and 72nd pic in 2026 draft (Comp B pick, which can be traded)
Good for Cards. Fair for Seattle. Tampa being Tampa.
More than fair for Seattle, I think. Peete is a real gamble, Jurrangelo is the closest to a sure thing. Williamson’s bat is sad, his defense is what will keep him playing. Donovan by himself would have been fine, but there’s a little outfield depth thrown in beyond that, so yay.
You must really love Donovan. He doesn’t do a lot of things I’d want a player to do. What I expected. Rays part of trade made it better than fair for Cards.
I think people love Williamson and Peete more than is warranted: the cost for Seattle isn’t that bad, to get two years of a 117 OPS+ player who can play all over, filling real holes the team has.
Cijntje is a loss, but with Anderson and Sloan as close as they are, it’s a bearable one.
I don’t love them. Don’t even like them.
You don’t like leadoff hitters who get on base and play everywhere? Ridiculous.
Not when their obp is 294 288. Glad you are impressed though.
Donovan’s OBP was .353 last year. It’s .361 for his career.
Interesting – Chaim Bloom valued Tai Peete over Lazaro Montes.
Why would you say that? More likely Seattle preferred letting Peete go over Montes.
Because at one time a projected package for Donovan from Seatle was a 2-for-1 swap of Cijntje and Montes, Why would that change unless St. Louis preferred Peete instead?
Unless the media was wrong, which in this day and age is pretty much a given.
a “projected package” in some article does not mean that the mariners offered Montes at any time!
Projected package doesn’t mean anything. Just what the writer thinks is fair value trade. I assume the Mariners refusing to add Montes is what held this up longer. I understand the limited value a guy like he can have, but the upside may just be too tantalizing to wager yet. MLB body, DH type, mammoth power, lil bit of speed and the demeanor of Eugenio Suarez… You wait to see if that comes together
It changed once the Giants got Arraez. The Reds finally had to cave when Donovan’s market shrunk.
Montes is a much higher rated prospect than Peete.
Why’d I type Reds?
I dunno. Was it your cat typing? Or was it a primitive screw head?
Montes name was probably discussed. Doesn’t mean that Seattle ever had any intentions of giving him up.
Wayyyyy higher. Peete has always had loud tools. He just never figured out how to use them. Seattle gave up zero of their untouchable prospects this entire offseason. What a win!
Center piece is Cijntje and #72nd pick in 2026 draft….I can live with that.
5 picks in Top 86 picks….I can definitely live with that in a college hitter heavy draft
Make that 6 picks!
Let’s gooooooo!!!!!! Keeping Montes is an absolute win. LFG!!!!!!!
potential 40+ HRs with 210+K’s
His contact rates improved last season, and hes only 20 lol
he didnt improve — he K’s like its going out of business
169K in 490 ABs in A+/AA
He has to really work harder – MLB will make his bat look like a bad version of Rob Deer
And St. Louis wanted him too lol. He may not work out, but I’d rather we take that gamble in our system than in someone else’s. Our OF is currently full, so it’s not a big loss if he doesn’t pan out. Thats what the majority of prospects do. There’s a reason he’s Top 3 in our system. Hopefully he can figure it out.
How horrible for him playing in a league where he’s four years younger than the average player. What a loser!
emerson is slightly younger and K’d a lot less….age is just age if one can never overcome the K rate you become next Marco Luciano
It says the Rays got Brandon Williamson, should be Ben Williamson
Enjoy your amphibious pitcher, Cardinals fans. I’m searching to understand why the Rays agreed to this.
Ben Williamson is such a Rays player it’s like he was stamped from a mold at the Rays Infielder Factory. Not surprised at all.
Would be completely unsurprised if they turn him into a 4 win player.
Amphibious. lol
IYKYK
I would bat Donovan leadoff against RH Pitchers and Refsnyder leadoff against LH Pitchers but Donovan is still in the Line-up against Lefties. Fun! Lets go! The line-up has been lengthened!!!!
Thanks to STL for finally getting him out of the rumormill circuit.
now STL looks to be locking up last place among all MLB teams
Possibly last place this year. But the farm system is coming and they have $ to spend.
Well they will have money once the payments are finished on the gents they are paying to play in Boston and Phoenix the next couple of seasons. I hope Noot heals up and has a strong first half and Gorman crushes 30 bombs by the all-star break so those gents can be flipped for a good return as well.
Better last place during a rebuild than 5th place and telling fans in St. Louis that the team is competitive.
Why are the embedded links, and often names, often incorrect?
The rumor business is all about being first. When humans rush, we all make mistakes.
This story was updated several times because the players had to be tracked down and notified.
Patience is a virtue. Many of us are lacking.
Nice addition to Seattle but I don’t really understand why Tampa Bay gave up a prospect and a draft pick for a third baseman with an underwhelming bat.
Perhaps they think they can modify Williamson’s leg kick and get more consistent contact.
The Mariners send infielder Brandon Williamson to the Rays *its linking to the Reds pitcher.
Cardinals got a headliner pitcher, a prospect with tools, another outfield prospect abd a pick. I dont think that is bad at all for Donovan. He’s turning 29 and we arent signing him long term. To Seattle fans, treat him right! Youre going to love him!
Great addition. I would have Donovan over Jazz anyday. What is wrong with Cashman. I honestly thought he’s definitely going to Boston. How are the Boston fans feeling today???
Not great. Isaac Paredes or bust for the Sox.
It’s a good effort by the cardinals. Reconsidering g how feel about the 71 win over/under.
Oh cards will still be in the bottom dwelling of MLB. Come pistols lockout (if there is one) the Cards will be stacked with $ to burn
Cardinals got a lot back
Mariners! Go sign RP Danny Coulombe and call it a day!
LF Randy Arozarena
CF Julio Rodriguez
RF Victor Robles/ Dom Canzone
3B Brendan Donovan
SS JP Crawford
2B Cole Young
1B Josh Naylor
C Cal Raleigh
DH Rob Refsnyder/Luke Raley
SP Logan Gilbert
SP Luis Castillo
SP Bryan Woo
SP George Kirby
SP Bryce Miller
Bat B. Donovan leadoff against RH SP but have Refsnyder hit leadoff against LH SP.
That myth of Tampa always fleecing teams needs to die
Seems like that left when Friedman left.
The Mariners’ win projection probably didn’t move much at all. But their probability of winning the division must have spiked. Where they are on the win-curve getting some assurance that both 2b and 3b won’t be black holes is so very valuable.
We still don’t have a solid third baseman. Donovan’s fielding numbers are not the best at third… hmm
Donovan’s an excellent fielder everywhere. Don’t rely on small sample fielding statistics.
I love Donnie and will miss him, but he’s a plus fielder at 2nd and capable at other spots, but isn’t truly excellent with the glove anywhere.
And don’t forget, his arm is fine, but not elite, and he’s already had surgery on the elbow of his throwing arm.
He should be an everyday second baseman and platoon in other spots when needed. Putting him at 3rd every day is asking for trouble.
He’s excellent for the right team — he’s cost-controlled, CAN play a bunch of spots on the field without being a liability, isn’t expensive, plays hard, has a little bit of pop, can lead off, and doesn’t strike out.
And what should we rely on… CNN fake news?
Colt Emerson is now our opening day Third Baseman.
Jingle Clitoris is quite the unusual name
Confused a bit about the trade.. the Cards got 2 draft picks along with a mediocre prospect from Tampa, a toolsy player and a big arm from seattle?
That’s what it seems….most of us just realizing that now. Several publications including Trade Rumors are suggesting that’s the trade.
6 picks in the Top 2026 draft…..Deep College Hitters and Deep in the Prep pool
I hope we go BREWER’s strategy and pick a TON of Highschool hard to sign guys with tremendous upside. We’ll have a TON of Bonus Pool to throw at them. Get a good College hitter with the 13th pick, then HS the next 5
Now the Sox need to overpay for Hoerner, Shaw, or Marte – please, anything to avoid David Hamilton. Shaw is legit and fits the budget – make it happen.
Isaac Paredes.
As a Mariners fan I’m excited!!
Weak return for the cards. Should have kept Donovan and extended him if that was all they could get.
You dont extend a 30 year old during a rebuild. Trust me, I’ve lived and love cardinals baseball for a long time. The reason we are here is because we extended wheb we shouldn’t
Donovan will age well at a reasonable price. He would be nice to have around the next 6 yrs.
3 dudes and two draft picks for a utility guy with zero power is a weak return?
Utility guy with weak power. How does it diminish his value by being a defensive stud at 5 positions with line drive power. Wears out the right field corner.
Didn’t get enough.
Cardinals didn’t get enough.
They got way too much
I highly valued arm, a wildcard outfielder, another depth outfielder and 2 top 72 picks isnt enough for 2 years of donovan, he’s good but not that good.
I am a huge Brendan Donovan fan, and I think the Cardinals made out pretty well. The package from the Mariners is about what I expected. The extra from the Rays is bonus.
You wrote, “I highly valued arm, a wildcard outfielder, another depth outfielder and 2 top 72 picks isnt enough for 2 years of donovan, he’s good but not that good.”
What does that mean?
Should have been a question mark behind donovan. Then a new sentence starting with he. Autocorrect hates me
They got a ton!
I like the deal. Would have been cool with Cjintje and the 2 picks alone.
Exactly
They priced him too high for too long. When the Giants moved on and got Arraez, the Cards took what they could get, which is seriously not bad. Peete is a total lottery ticket but Cijntje is a stud in the making.
Wow… Giants couldn’t put a package together better than that?
That was an insane, overpay package for Donovan.
Insane Overpay???!! Lmfao!! Put down the pipe bro!
So you think a top 100 prospect, top 70 draft pick (which can be used to selected a 3rd round..ish prospect), top 10 prospect in most farms, and a lottery ticket is worth Donovan?
He’s worth the top 100, the draft pick and the lottery, and 2-3 top 10’s. Not all of that.
I would’ve rather landed Josuar De Jesus over anyone the Cardinals got in this trade.
Josuar Gonzalez? You are not getting him for Donovan.
Yes, clearly I’m still stuck in the international signing period when the coverage called him by his full name haha. But yeah, he might have a little too much helium around him by now
The report that came out in December was that it could be Kilen + Whisenhunt for Donovan. I don’t know if that was the Ask from the Cards, or the Bid from the Giants. Kilen is up to #3 in our prospect rankings (behind Eldridge and J Gonzalez), and #69 on Keith Law’s top 100, and Whisenhunt seems likely to stick (ceiling: #4 starter; floor: lefty reliever 7th inning). You could have 6 yrs of Kilen who might end up being as good, for 2 years of Donovan, plus throwing in Whisenhunt. It’s not totally insane but I’m glad we didn’t do that. Seemed like it would be a lot. Instead, we opted for Arraez, who lacks all that versatility that Donovan brings, but we gave up no players, no prospects and no draft picks to get him. Way better outcome than giving up those players for Donovan.
And no, there is no possible way we would have parted with Josuar Gonzalez to get 2 yrs of Brendan Donovan.
No. SF minors pales to Seattles.
The Cardinals got a LOOGY ROOGY!
Chaim knows what he is doing…. there is a plan for everything. There is a reason Tampa was involved. He knows Tampas system. Doesn’t seem like alit now but its coming!
I wonder how this impacts Paredes’ market.
Do you really think the Astros would move him? Why? He seems like a really good bat for them, especially in that park. What do they need that they would try and get for him? Thanks
Infield logjam.
He’s exactly what the Red Sox need at this point. He is by far the best option still available to them, assuming Ketel Marte has been taken off of the market. The Sox should line up well on a trade with the Astros too, although I don’t think they will give up Early or Tolle.
I think that the Red Sox are the desperate ones here. The Astros can make it work and they can still compete. I would wait longer and longer and see if we can get a Abreu for Paredes 1-1 swap.
If not, I’d rather keep Paredes and shop Walker (in spring training)
The Astros could use a lefty hitting outfielder and the Red Sox could use a righty hitting 3b. A deal makes a lot of sense.
Astros71
I think that the Red Sox are the desperate ones here. The Astros can make it work and they can still compete. I would wait longer and longer and see if we can get a Abreu for Paredes 1-1 swap.
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You’re proposing an absurd deal.
Trade a Gold Glove winner in right field in 2024 and 2025 with 30+ home run potential and four years of control for two years of Paredes with protection in 2025 at third base with 766.2 Inns., -4 Drs., -3 OAA (Career at third base with 3498.0 Inns., -5 OAA).
The Red Sox could have simply kept Devers at third base without trading him.
And Raffi has a better offensive game than Paredes.
I think they’ll give Mayer a chance at third base,; he played good defense in 2025.
And Romy at second base.
I don’t understand why Tampa would want Williamson. They have a stud at third. Why?
Would be interesting to know how Giants trade package for Donovan compared to prospects Cardinals received from Mariners
Doesn’t appear Mariners gave up any of their top prospects
Giants can not match that.
The word was that they were discussing Kilen and Whisenhunt for Donovan. Kilen is up to #3 in our system. I’m glad we didn’t do that.
A nice trade for St. Louis! A nice return for a guy who’s basically a utility guy.
Rays got a guy that is going to be blocked by Caminero.
Seattle gets a versatile player, but gave up too much.
Hardly!
Perfect fit for Seattle.
Already the division favorites, this solidifies it.
So do I keep Donovan in my fantasy league at $7?
No! He is 0 for 4 career at T Mobile Park obviously does not bode well for his Home splits in 2026 😉
What will amount to 5 dudes for Donovan is mindblowing.
St. Louis Top 10 prospect changes under Chaim Bloom
(2025)
1) JJ Wetherholt (2B)
2) Liam Doyle (SP)
3) Leonardo Bernal (C)
4) Rainiel Rodriguez (C)
5) Quinn Mathews (SP)
6) Jimmy Crooks (C)
7) Jesus Baez (3B) (Ryan Helsley trade – 2025)
8) Tekoah Roby (SP/RP) (Montgomery/Stratton trade – 2023)
9) Yairo Padilla (SS)
10) Ryan Mitchell (OF)
(2026)
1) JJ Wetherholt (2B)
2) Liam Doyle (SP)
3) Rainiel Rodriguez (C)
4) Leonardo Bernal (C)
5) Quinn Mathews (SP)
6) Jurrangelo Cijntje (SP) (Brendan Donovan trade – 2026)
7) Jimmy Crooks (C)
8) Brandon Clarke (SP) (Sonny Gray trade – 2025)
9) Tekoah Roby (SP.) (J. Montgomery trade – 2023)
10) Yhoiker Fajardo (SP) (Willson Contreras trade – 2025)
Cards really deep from numbers 6-20 prospects now.
How fast they return to contention depends on how many of those pitchers hit their ceiling – there are a lot of them now (eg the above list doesn’t include Hence and Hjerpe)
How many damn catchers do the cardinals need ?
Lol I know right…I think they were really concerned about Yadi leaving and loaded up on catchers…Rodriguez is supposed to be the guy
Very thorough recap by the folks at MLBTR; so much better than The Athletic
I remember the comments saying the Cardinals wouldn’t get much for Donovan…
They got quantity.
Bloom has pretty much done the same thing all offseason – an anchor player they are confident will deliver value (Fitts, Dobbins, Cijntje) and then added high risk, high ceiling prospects (in this case Peete, previously Fajardo and Clarke from the Red Sox) and then rounded it out with whatever else they could get (most notably 2 comp round B picks, in this case – they now have a lot of day 2 picks)
Blooms playing a volume game and betting that some of the high risk guys make it (including the likes of Hence and Hjerpe that they already have.) I guess if you have a load of them, you’d be unlucky to strike out on everybody.
We will see if it works, but its a whole lot more interesting than filling the farm with high floor, low ceiling college arms.
Saint Louis needs to change the team name Bandits after that trade, my goodness they made out well
3 nothing prospects for Donovan is laughable. Typical clueless east Missouri scouting. What happened? IT department fail to break into the Seattle database? Enjoy last place where you belong. I see comments about how good the farm system is and that’s just as much of a joke. Other than Wetherholt it is barren, even with adding these 3 meh guys.
Cijntje throws upper 90s with a good Slider. He absolutely should make it as a mid to back enbd starter at the least.
So the other 4 guys the Cardinals have in the Top 100 Prospects aren’t promising at all? And just how bad is the Mariners’ farm system so that their #7 prospect last year is “meh.”
Put the doobie down…
This Cubs fan’s perspective certainly is unbiased…
Somebody is hurt about the Cardinals doing well in this trade….point on the doll where the Cardinals hurt you
Having 6 players in the top 100 is meh???
This really shows that you shouldn’t comment when you have no clue what you are talking about. IA, joke.
Seems like a win-win to me, as for Seattle and St. Louis. I don’t really get what Tampa’s doing but I don’t know enough about Williamson, I guess. Three prospects (including at least one legitimate potential rotation piece) and two top-75 picks in 2026 is pretty good for two years of Donovon at his age. And I think Donovon is going to be a big contributor over those two years for a Seattle team that is World Series caliber.
Mariners did fine, Cards did great, and I don’t know what the Rays were thinking.
Really good 3B glove for cheap, with 6 full years of control. I’m thinking maybe they try to convert him to SS or just stash him in AAA.
Assuming they have nothing else cooking.
Mariners did great.
Good trades this winter by Bloom. Pitching depth is better and two picks at 68,72 this summer
Be good to see some of the pitchers mature
Exactly what a rebuilding team should do. Tear it down, the foundation was crap.
Now Cards fans don’t have to suffer through 15 years of “were bad but not the Rockies bad” baseball.
The Cardinals might lose more games this season than the Rockies.
Name any Rockies hitter better than Burleson or Herrera or any Rockies SP better than May (when healthy) or McGreevy.
The Cardinals may be bad, but they’re not THAT bad.
Hunter Goodman
Goodman beats them in raw stats (if his breakout last year was for real), but Burleson and Herrera still beat him in both OPS+ and wRC+, which include park factors.
No chance.
On top of that, who cares? Only one team gets a ring.
Surprised the Giants couldn’t work out a trade for Donovan, and had to settle on the more imperfect solution of Arraez at 2B.
Posey is new at this, and they don’t have the top end prospect depth of the Mariners
think the Mariners and Cards made out. Giants, not so much.
If the top get was either Cijntje or Whisenhunt, it would be Cijntje 9 out of 10 times.
10 of 10, for me
Nice return for the Cardinals getting Jurrangelo and the 2 draft picks.
Two former 1st round picks, a former second round pick and 2 additional picks and their alloted pool money in the June draft. Not too bad of a haul in my opinion. I really enjoy watching Donovan play, but this was a move that makes too much sense for STL.
Yeah I dont see how as a Cardinal fan you dont like this move. I actually would have preferred to keep Williamson but I still like this deal a lot.
Well, the logjams are gone. Here’s the Cardinals’ Opening Day lineup, as long as Nootbaar is ready (batting order TBD):
C: Pagés
1B; Burleson
2B; Weatherholt
SS: Winn
3B; Gorman
LF: Nootbaar
CF: Scott
RF: Walker
DH: Herrera
SP: May
Winn cleanup? No chance.
Saggese will be in the lineup everyday too.
I’m just relieved it wasn’t Sloan. He will be better than Anderson when it’s all said & done. You don’t trade away pitchers with top of the rotation potential. You trade pitchers #4-5 ceilings.
The overpay was including the #68 draft pick; though that’s probably what got the deal finalized. Williamson was divisive as far as opinions on him, but Tampa apparently saw what many did, a platinum glove ceiling with a bat trending up.
Yeah, I didn’t like including Ben in this deal. But I’d do it again, because thats what contending clubs do.
We should all be happy mariners got a great fit/ good player. Cardinals got a huge quantity of guys with upside. Rays got a great glove with upside. What’s not to like.
Feel bad for Cijntje. Development will be next to nothing with the cardinals fostering his development.
lol the cardinals are doing better than the Ms developing pitchers…
Feel free to retract this when you aren’t a homer.
Yeah all those homegrown stl pitchers recently. Seattle dumps on cardinals with pitcher development. A monster dump
lol what?!
Seattle has easily a top 3 pitching development program ina all the mlb. Prove me wrong.
The Mariners have five drafted/home grown pitchers listed on MLB roster by FanGraphs. Here they are listed and their bWAR:
Woo 4.2
Gilbert 2.1
Kirby 0.8
Miller -0.8
Evans -0.1 will be on IL all of 2026
So then look at AAA, no one listed with a top 1000 power rank. Then look AA, no one listed with a top 1000 power rank. At A+ level, Ryan Sloan listed at 577. At A level, no one listed with a top 1000 power rank but Kade Anderson was ranked #34 prospect.
The Cardinals have only four drafted/home grown pitchers listed on MLB roster by FanGraphs, given no one close to Woo. Here they are listed and their bWAR:
Pallante -1.2
McGreevy 0.7
Leahy 1.5
Graceffo -0.8
So then look at AAA, they have four drafted pitchers in the top 1000 power rank. Then look AA, they have one amateur FA pitcher in the top 1000 power rank. At A+ level, two drafted and one amateur FA pitcher in the top 1000 power rank At A level, no one listed with a top 1000 power rank.
Over A minor league ball to MLB, 5 levels, Seattle’s ERA+ adjusted for age is 98 and St. Louis is 100. Seattle better start developing again, soon, fast, because the cupboard is bare in the minors. St. Louis is going to be stocked with home grown pitchers for years to come…
Was this a serious analysis?
I agree that Gilbert, Kirby, and especially Miller were injured in 2025, but 2024 also happened:
Miller, 3.4 (2.7 fWAR)
Gilbert 2.8 (4.0 fWAR)
Kirby 2.0 (4.0 fWAR)
Woo 2.3 (2.2 fWAR)
I don’t like it that the 2 WAR’s differ so much on pitcher value.
Yup, serious analysis. Yup, 2024 happened. Yup, SEA guys got injured, it’s part of the pitching “system” – as an Orioles fan I am unfortunately familiar with pitching systems resulting in lots of TJ surgeries and other injuries. Yup, the Cardinals farm system has the better pitchers in it now. Sorry you don’t like the differences in the b and f WARs, maybe averaging them is a good idea. You have different way you’d like to do the analysis, lemme know…
The Mariners starting 5 projects to be substantially better than the Cards in 2026.
After drafting them, the M’s turned to drafting hitters in the upper rounds for a few years.
Sloan and Anderson are both ranked in the top 30 of most top-100 lists. Seattle does suck at building depth into their minors, but their future MLB-player development has been very strong.
At book^2 thanks for the insightful and thoughtful comments! Much appreciated! Seattle definitely has what? Seven drafted SPs that are MLB ready except for the 1 who will probably miss all 2026 due to TJ surgery. And two more recently drafted top 100 SPs too. It’s an embarrassment of riches!
They set the highest of bars for St Louis to try to reach. I think the cardinals have a lot of good talent pitching wise in the minors but it will take a few years for them to reach Seattle level pitching staff. I believe i overstated St. Louis’ pitching development prowess, it’s more potential and Seattle has current prowess bragging rights.
Mea culpa/I stand corrected!
Fangraphs has them at exactly a .540 projectio now.
Truth is often mocked when you say the quiet part out loud. The 54% was/is spot on.Dipoto’s downfall was having to cover for the owner who promised spending then reneged. Like a loyal employee, he didn’t throw the guy writing his checks under the bus. Fans prefer to hear what they want, not the cold hard truth.
I understand that this is comment #436, but I gotta say that this surprised me (for the good) a bit. The Cards got a lot of guys and the M’s got the guy that has the best chance of putting them over the top right now.. I don’t understand what the Rays were thinking, but maybe they just love Ben Williamson.
So, for a RH starter, the lineup is (?):
Donovan 3B
Raleigh C
Rodriguez CF
Naylor 1B
Arozarena LF
Raley DH
Crawford SS
Young 2B
Robles RF
with a four-man bench of Knizner, Refsnyder, Rivas, and one of Canzone/Emerson/Mastrobuoni/Bliss/Pereda. Me, I’m keeping Emerson in Tacoma (for pete’s sake, he’s 0nly 20) and let him play every day, unless Young struggles with sophomore slump. And Canzone and Raley are pretty much the same, except Raley is more versatile and faster. The 26th guy will have to succeed even though there won’t be a lot of ABs for him, a tough job, which leads me more toward Mastrobuoni or Bliss (who can also PR).
I am with you Zippy and I would actually have Refsnyder lead off against lefties with Donovan still in the line up but further down the order.
The Rays didnt give up much for Williamson. And hes an excellent defender he has value.
I think the Mariners gave up a lot but I still like the move for them. They gotta make moves and push their chips in these next few years and they are. Donovan is an excellent teammate and will help them a bunch.
Canzone isn[‘t going back to the minors after breaking out in 2025.
Raley had an awful season, oft-injured and no power. He’s the one that’s on the roster bubble.
No bubble to break yet, Ben Williamson went out, Donvan came back, no other move needed!!
Raley and Robles will need to perform to keep spots. I’m not convinced either of them will. It will be interesting to see what happens in spring with the kiddos in 2B and 3B position battles.
Donovan is going to provide flexibility as all this plays out over the next 12-18 months and the prospects establish themselves. He isn’t a worldbeater, but this is a great move.
Go M’s!
Redbirds got a great return for Donovan who had a few bad/lingering injury prone years. Cijntje alone is going to be a star and got a few more chips on top of it.
Donovan isn’t the “over the top guy” for SEA, he’s their glue guy for two seasons. You’ll see. SEA can chase “over the top” again at the deadline.
I wish the Red Sox would just trade for a slick fielding shortstop who can bat ninth in the order. Move Story to second and play Mayer at third. Take their time with Casas and Campbell. It would also be nice to trade Yoshida to free up the DH spot for any number of players. Those are clearly two separate trades. Players like Taylor Walls or Nick Allen would be fine. Sure they don’t hit worth a lick but they play good defense. Heck, World Series Champions will often have one or two players who can’t hit much at all. But they should be “up the middle” guys who have defensive value.
Nothing develops young pitching more than trading away a gold glover.
You must not like the current SEA rotation Pierpont helped develop before he came to STL.
You Seattle fans who have been complaining about Donovan the past few days will soon be eating crow. He’s a military brat, great dude, leader, hustler, hard worker, on-base machine, good hitter, good glove, and plays everywhere.
I don’t see any Seattle fans complaining about him. Quite the opposite actually.
Cardinals shouldn’t stop now and should trade off everyone born before 2001….
Only player that makes sense to trade at this point is Romero, and at $4m, he’ll probably get moved at the deadline, I’m guessing.
The Cards have torn this thing down to the studs. Now all the young guys will get lots of playing time and we’ll see where we are in a few months.
Sad that a full rebuild is necessary, but this is where we are and the logical moves to recommit to player development are back on track.
Let’s go!
I really think the Mariners, Orioles, and Toronto have the best overall lineups with power, contact, and versatility. The Yankees lineup is still a big issue come playoff time. Too many strikeouts, not enough RH bat matchups.
They are in need of a RH hitting catcher and a RH versatile infielder/outfieider.
Nico Hoerner is the perfect fit but he’s not getting moved unless maybe at the trade deadline depending on where the Cubs are at. The Yankees should be able to find a good defensive RH hitting catcher to backup Wells? The perfect fit would have been JT Realamuto who could play first and Catch. But again he wasn’t an option.
In The AL I meant to say.
I don’t think if it’s only me but I don’t see how this even makes the Rays better. I don’t know why they were even involved in this trade. At this point the Mariners and the Rays have to be working together under utmost secrecy.
The Cardinals could have easily organized that trade to simply get another draft pick…maybe that was their demand….
Strong deal. Solid infield bat, a veteran to provide cover for our developing prospects. Didn’t cost a top prospect. Really liked Ben and wish him and the others success in their new organizations!
Go M’s!
Over the last three years …
Player A: 366 games, .282/.351/.420, 117 wRC+, 7.5 WAR
Player B: 355 games, .291/.333/.445, 116 wRC+, 8.0
TWAR
Player A is Brendan Donovan. Player B is Bo Bichette.
Seattle got a very good, underappreciated player who can fill a number of roles.
Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan)
4K likes • 171
If you insist on viewing Donovan as a platoon bat, think of it this way: the M’s also added right-hander Rob Refsnyder (A plausible leadoff platoon partner with Donny). The combination of these two players equates to something like 4-5 WAR and a 140 wrc+
For $12 million, that is exceptional value
This new format is very discouraging to me. The add was at the bottom of, and not a bother,now they are all over the page, and continually toss me back to the top of the page. Have to sign into the page everything now!!!
I hate it too. The format seems to favor laptops and not mobiles. Maybe the app is better but I dont want the app on my phone. I already keep more than I wish.
I am not understanding why Williamson had to be dealt to Rays in this deal. Does that make any sense to someone? If anything, it appears it could have been a completely transaction, which would leave it unnesassary in the first place. It could only have to do with competitive balance picks and Ledbetter?
It seems we could have gotten Donovan for simply Peet and Cijntje and call it a day. and still have Williamson, whom i like just fine at 3rd. His bat will pick up. And his contact I prefer to Suarez whiffing all the time anyway.
That wouldn’t have been enough for the Cardinalss. The M’s traded Peete, Williamson, and a pick so they wouldn’t have to trade Lazaro Montes or Ryan Sloan.
St Louis got 2 competitive balance picks because of it
Donovan is not worth either Sloan/Montes. I would say he’s barely worth Cijinte.
If you are a Cardinals fan, and not one that needs instant gratification, you have to be very happy with what they have done over the past six months.
In some ways, the Cards have followed the Cleveland plan by acquiring pitching, pitching, pitching. Pitching is the quickest way to return to contention, and Cleveland depends on it almost exclusively.
The Cleveland run that began in 2016 was powered by a pitching staff that had four starters acquired as starters when young and multiple backend relievers also acquired that way.
Kluber, Carrasco, Bauer, Clevinger, Brian Shaw, Zach McAllister, Cal Quantrill…all came thru trades.
In every major trade, Cleveland gets pitching prospects in return.
St Louis has to now have close to a dozen legit pitching prospects. If the Cards can develop them, they are gonna be a force in a few years.
Brendan Donovan is the next Pete Rose. Giving away Donovan is the stupidest thing to do. Cardinals have given away very good newbies in the past seven years. What is the point of bringing up great players just to give them away three years later?
As a Sox fan, feel like we have to get Hoerner and try again in 2026/27
Cardinals theme song.: Give it away, Give it away, Give it away now
Brendan Donavan is the next Pete Rose and cardinals give him away. Genuinely crazy.
Pete Rose?
Seriously?
Genuinely crazy.
Donovan is a good player, but….
Apparently hes getting banned for gambling?